TV Reporter Fired for Profanity on Air

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A weekend news anchorman for a North Dakota television station says he was fired after he opened his first-ever broadcast with obscenities.

A.J. Clemente says on Twitter that KFYR-TV of Bismarck fired him Monday.

The NBC affiliate said in an earlier statement that Clemente was suspended following the Sunday evening broadcast. General manager Dick Heidt says he cannot discuss the incident because it's a personnel matter.

The station posted an apology online and co-anchorwoman Van Tieu also apologized during the 10 p.m. newscast.

Video of Clemente's two-word uttering was immediately posted online via social media sites, and the hashtag "Keep AJ" started trending on Twitter in support of the self-described West Virginia University graduate.

Clemente tweeted after the broadcast: "That couldn't have gone any worse!"

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)